My Talk Was Canceled, But I Gained Profound Insight

How going with the flow is helping me reconnect with my purpose

Last week, I attended a women's expo in LA, my first significant investment since transitioning from my corporate job. I prepared meticulously for a stage presentation on authenticity and storytelling and was ready to give on-the-spot 15-minute marketing consultations at my partner's booth. But the speaker schedule went over, and my talk got bumped. After all that effort, it was a real bummer, but I wasn’t that upset for some reason.

After 24 years in my corporate marketing job, getting laid off felt like an unexpected divorce. It was welcomed because I had felt stuck and knew I wanted to leave but couldn’t make the jump for a variety of reasons. Now that I got what I wanted, I faced the question: What do I really want?

At first, the loss felt overwhelming. My job had been a huge part of my identity, and suddenly, it was gone. But as I processed this change, I began to see it as an opportunity for a fresh start. Without the safety net of a steady job, I must reinvent myself as an entrepreneur, something I’d been pining about for a long time. Unlike the imposter syndrome I sometimes felt in my corporate role, I now had a different challenge: too many ideas and no clear focus. The freedom to explore new ventures is exciting but also overwhelming. Despite having clients and attracting new ones, I still question if what I’ve started is where I truly want to go.

Writing is my anchor. Whether it’s my personal writing or writing for my clients, the act of writing reveals insights. I recently wrote a blog for a client with a leadership coaching business, focusing on the importance of connecting our work to our “why” and the positive impact our work has on others. Writing about the challenges of motivating software developers and engineers, I realized I had the same challenge—why wasn’t I motivated to share more about my business and the work I’m doing today?

The blog nudged me to reflect on a fundamental question: Why do we do what we do? This question hit home. The "why" often gets lost amidst the targets and deadlines in the corporate world. Or the “why” is more about stability and security, which, after being laid off, I now deeply understand is a false reality because it doesn’t matter how valuable you are when the bean counters say it's time for a reduction. But as an entrepreneur, understanding my "why" is crucial. Writing about this helped me reconnect with my purpose, which today has nothing to do with feeling safe or secure; it's about being in my integrity, being authentic, and making an impact in the world by helping others.

Spending some time reflecting on my ‘why’ gives me practical insights into managing my entrepreneurial journey. For me, the key to handling an overload of ideas is to stay curious, tune into my energy, and notice what is lighting me up and what is depleting me. I filter out distractions and can focus by asking myself how each idea aligns with my core values. I’m prioritizing with purpose to make a real impact.

All this navel-gazing and reflection has reinforced my belief in the power of authenticity and storytelling. My insights can help others facing similar transitions. Maybe I wasn’t upset about not delivering my talk because it wasn’t meant for that audience or platform. Perhaps I’m meant to use it somewhere else, or maybe it was meant just for me to come to these realizations. For now, it doesn’t matter. What matters as I continue this journey is that I keep showing up, even if I’m unsure of where I’m going or it seems like I’m shifting directions a few times. Showing up is my commitment to myself and you, dear reader.